Durbin: Trump’s ‘Outlandish’ Border Wall a ‘Political Stunt’

Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), said President Donald Trump’s proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall was “a political stunt.”

Durbin said, “The Democrats in the house and the senate are ready to work and cooperate with the White House to keep the government open. But we told the president weeks ago, don’t try any political stunts, don’t put any poison pills into this process. Let’s just do the responsible important work of funding this government. We know what this wall is all about. This was a promise made by the president during his campaign. Don’t you remember he said the Mexicans were going to pay for it? Now we know it’s going to cost 20 to 70 billion dollars for this wall. We have Democrats and Republicans all along the border opposing this deal. It’s a political stunt, an obsession for the president that should not shut down our government.”

He added, “I hope the president will back off. To think that he would consider shutting down the government of the United States of America over this outlandish proposal of a border wall which we can’t even pay for at this point and is opposed by Democrats and Republicans all along the border, that would be the height of irresponsibility.He would not want that to define his first 100 days.”